your body
The Quest for Perfection fat-reduction procedures target trouble spots by valerie foster
Cryolipolysis, branded as Coolsculpting, freezes fat, but not your skin. The frozen fat then dies and is absorbed by the body over time. The machine is likened to a mammogram: The fatty area is squeezed into a hand piece between two metal plates and
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healthylife
Coolsculpting photo courtesy of Zeltiq. Surgery markings photo, Brad Wilson/GettyImages.
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ighty percent of women don’t like their bodies. This stat from Psych Central — an online independent mental health social network run by mental health professionals — should come as no surprise to most women. Nor should this: Women comprise 87 percent of the population who opt for cosmetic surgery. We are nip-tucking ourselves into our skinny jeans. But thanks to technology, the knife is not our only option. For the past three decades, women have turned to liposuction to suck the extra fat from our bodies. In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, liposuction is the third most popular cosmetic procedure with women, right behind breast augmentation and nose reshaping. “Liposuction is still the gold standard for ridding the body of large collections of fat,” says plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Fisher, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. It is the technique he uses because it’s a one-shot procedure, which although invasive surgery that requires anesthesia and a recuperation period, has been proven to be effective in his practice. Other doctors are turning to less invasive processes that don’t require surgery. Plastic surgeon Dr. Alan Gold, spokesman for ASAPS, says all of the new processes accomplish the same end — removing localized fat under the skin. They are divided into two groups: